Tribal war drove human evolution of aggression

PhysOrg ^ | September 9, 2008 | Lisa Zyga

[SunkenCiv]

However, as you might expect, there is a downside to belligerence and bravery. While both these traits offer advantages during war for a tribe, both traits are also considered high-risk social behaviors. An individual possessing the traits has a greater chance of dying, which means the tribe not only loses a warrior, but the death also opens a spot for another male to appropriate the first male's reproduction-enhancing resources.

This trade-off leads to another question: if an individual himself does not benefit from belligerence and bravery, but only his tribe, why would humans evolve this altruistic trait? The scientists explain that the answer is kinship: a human will take the risk of dying for close relatives since they carry very similar genetic material, and will pass that genetic material on for him.

[SunkenCiv]

Genes have free will. And ESP.

[SunkenCiv]

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[martin_fierro]

Tribal war drove human evolution of aggression

Nonsense.

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

I feel like beating the crap out of these weeny scientists. Wait — does that mean I’m more highly evolved??

[txroadkill]

Tribal war drove human evolution of aggression

That and Football

[valkyry1]

//Genes have free will. And ESP//

So who & what are men then by your estimate?

I take it that you made your statement facetiously.

[G8 Diplomat]

That would explain the Arabs....

[SunkenCiv]

the image is hosted by Tripod again. ;’)

[LongElegantLegs]

A brave man may have a greater chance of dying, but while he lived I would think he would have more opportunitis to ‘pass on his genetic material’ than a wussy little scrub would.

[LongElegantLegs]

Opportunitis- an inflamation of advantage.

Stupid typos.

[allmendream]

A brave man may only die once. A coward dies a thousand deaths.

[LiteKeeper]

INTREP

[SunkenCiv]

Bravery is for wussies who can’t face the prospect of a thousand deaths.

[SunkenCiv]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2087041/posts?page=46#46

[martin_fierro]

Nonsense, I say. Nonsense.

[tbw2]

The modern incarnation are the football players, basketball players, firemen and police who get the girls - and English majors and IT gurus who often don’t get any.

[hinckley buzzard]

The bottom line of this armchair BS is that humans are evolving a greater degree of aggression. I do not believe history bears this out. The twentieth century distorts things because technology made us far more effective at it. But, current jihadimania notwithstanding, the level of violence, interpersonal, intergroup and international, has dropped progressively over the centuries.

Just consider: genocide has been relatively commonplace throughout history, but has been more or less universally condemned today. Slavery has been largely done away with. Levels of interpersonal violence, including domestic violence has gone down steadily for over a hundred years and child abuse is at all time lows. Violent crime has waxed and waned but has not been escalating over any serious stretch of time. Wars are fought with at least a nod toward sparing civilians, whereas through most of history civilians were considered spoils of war for the victors.

Attempts at "evolutionary" behaviorism need at some point to comport with reality. This kind of misleading modelling is mere intellectual masturbation.

[chesley]

And let the technology that sustains the modern world disappear, and slavery will return

[Dustbunny]

Well, dah!

[FreedomPoster]

Perfect! LOL!